Changes
by partners.in.crime03
Summary: Songfic, one shot. Just a short piece with John, Bobby, Rogue, Kitty and a little Piotr as they discover their powers and come to live at the mansion together. The song I used is 'Changes' by 3 Doors Down. My first story, so reviews are welcome.


**Changes**

_I'm not supposed to be scared of anything, but I don't know where I am_

_I wish that I could move, but I'm exhausted and nobody understands (how I feel)_

All St. John Allerdyce had ever wanted was a place to call home. He'd spent the last year of his life wandering, doing the best he could with the little he had. It seemed ironic that a firestarter would be collapsed from exhaustion in the middle of a forest, but he couldn't even find the energy to laugh. His control over fire wasn't good enough yet that he should be hanging out around so many trees, but that didn't stop John from pulling out his lighter and igniting the flame, watching it flicker.

_I'm trying hard to breathe now, but there's no air in my lungs_

_There's no one here to talk to and the pain inside is making me numb_

Kathryn Pryde had always been the shy girl in class who knew all the answers. She was practically invisible to most people, and yet it still shocked her when she became a ghost. If she hadn't felt alone before, she did now that she was untouchable. Kitty was a fast learner, and control proved easy enough, but she was always afraid it would waver. She didn't want to phase through the floor in the middle of class, and she knew revealing she was a mutant was a stupid idea, but it still hurt.

_I try to hold this under control_

_They can't help me, 'cause no one knows_

Marie D'Ancanto had been happy. She had a family who loved her, a boy she liked and who liked her back. She'd never wanted to hurt anyone, and she was disgusted with herself over her lack of control. What kind of a mutation was this? She didn't feel like Marie anymore, and adopted the alias Rogue. She knew she had no other choice. The only way everyone could be safe was if she left. With one bag of clothes and a bus ticket to the first place she could think of, she was gone.

_Now I'm going through changes, changes_

_God, I feel so frustrated lately_

Robert Drake had to admit the discovery of his mutation had freaked him out, but he had always loved winter. It frustrated him to no end to hear his parents talking about 'the mutant problem'. What did they know about mutants? How would they react if they knew what he was? When the brochure came to Bobby in the mail, he'd jumped at the chance. He wanted to meet people he could trust, that he didn't have to hide from. With his parents' blessing, he caught the train to Westchester.

_When I get suffocated, save me_

_Now I'm going through changes, changes_

John didn't think he could take anymore of this. Not only did he have an extreme urge to burn something, but some gang was eyeing him with a mixture of fear and hate. Was he really that obvious? All John knew was that a fight wasn't that far off, and he still hadn't fully recovered from the last one. Before anything could start, John was saved by a strange young woman with white hair. She explained who she was and what she wanted, and before he could even think, he was accepting her offer.

_I'm feeling weak and weary, walking through this world alone_

_Everything they say, every word of it, cuts me to the bone (and I bleed)_

Kitty had burst into tears when her father learned her secret, but he'd been surprisingly kind about it. She could tell he was still nervous around her, but her mutation wasn't dangerous, at least from what she could tell. Kids at school had been getting more restless, talking about mutants like they weren't even human. Kitty knew she wasn't in the right place, and the letter in the mail confirmed it. She packed her bags and kissed her father goodbye, looking forward to change.

_I've got something to say, but now I've got nowhere to turn_

_It feels like I've been buried underneath all the weight of the world_

Rogue wasn't used to hitchhiking yet, and going into a bar probably wasn't her brightest idea. Her only consolation was that she managed to get a ride with a gruff looking stranger. His hands came too close to her skin, and Rogue flinched back. He looked at her strangely, and she cursed herself for being so paranoid. _Careful_, she corrected. _If I'm careful people won't get hurt._ She fixed her eyes on the road ahead, but didn't care where they were going. She wanted to be normal again.

_I try to hold this under control_

_They can't help me, 'cause no one knows_

Bobby had been surprised with his new school. Not only was it nicer than he thought, but there were kids all over blatantly showing off their mutations. One seemed to be burning a bush with only a lighter. An attractive woman was telling him off, and he claimed he'd been 'reenacting a scene from the Bible'. Bobby walked past them to the front door, jumping when it opened before he'd knocked. A kind looking old man was there to greet him, and he realized this might not be so bad.

_Now I'm going through changes, changes_

_God, I feel so frustrated lately_

John had been nothing less than annoyed when he'd heard his new roommate was an ice mutant. Were they insane? Did Xavier want them to kill each other? Of course, fire would win, he thought confidently. Was this Storm's way of punishing him for the bush? He knew she was protective of the garden, but he could've sworn he'd seen actual lightning bolts in her eyes. He clicked his lighter open and shut in boredom, hoping this new kid would at least have a sense of humor.

_When I get suffocated, save me_

_Now I'm going through changes, changes_

Kitty realized the one advantage of walking through walls was that she could get to class faster. Though she was long used to the feeling, others weren't, and they shuddered when she accidentally passed through them. Piotr had done just that a moment before, and Kitty had been so flustered that she'd unphased and ran into the nearest wall. Being the Russian gentleman he was, he picked up her books and apologized for scaring her. No one back home would've done that, and she was speechless.

_I'm blind and shaking, bound and breaking_

_I hope I make it through all these changes_

Rogue had gotten used to the whispers and stares she received. She fingered the white gloves she had on, tugging at them and wishing more than anything she could touch. Only a rare few people didn't flinch when they were near her, including an ice mutant, a pyrokinetic, and a ghost. She considered the fact that the boys were daredevils and that Kitty was untouchable, but she appreciated it all the same. She shivered, even through her layers, and smiled when John threw his arm around her shoulders.

_Now I'm going through changes, changes_

_God, I feel so frustrated lately_

_When I get suffocated, save me_

Bobby had always been popular, even at his old school. There his friends had mostly been jocks and class clowns. It seemed odd to him that Xavier's school had such a variety of students, and yet everyone hung out with everyone. His best friend was his exact opposite, the type of boy his mother would tell him to stay away from. If he felt like making an ice sculpture at the lunch table, nobody would tell him he was a freak. In fact, John was happy to melt it for him.

_Now I'm falling apart, I feel it_

_But I'm going through changes, changes_

_God, I feel so frustrated lately_

_And I get suffocated, I hate this_

_But I'm going through changes, changes_

The four of them had settled down for a movie one weekend. Since their differing personalities prevented them from deciding on one genre, they'd had Piotr pick, and invited him to join them. When the opening credits rolled, Kitty had run for the popcorn, tripping and falling _through_ John, who swore. He muttered something about how in a school of mutants they were still freaks, making them all laugh. For now, abnormal was good enough.


End file.
